Liverpool: The situation at centre-back and why Andioni Iraola should make a move to bring experience

Two central defenders caught their eye LiverpoolScouting Department at the U17 World Cup in Qatar last November.

Within weeks, the club had spent £3.5m on the pair of Senegalese Mour Thalia Ndiye and Austrian Ifeanyi Ndukwe.

Under Matt Newberry, LiverpoolHead of global talent, this future plan was in full flow.

However, no one at the club expected the two teenagers to form a central defensive pairing. LiverpoolOpening pre-season event.

In the eighth minute of the game, Joe Gomez left the field with an injury. SunderlandAnd Jeremy Jacques or Giovanni Leone are not fit to play Liverpool They have a problem at the core of their defense.

Looking at the long term is one thing, but they need reinforcements here and now.

Even before the injury, new coach Andoni Iraola said his team was “very thin” defensively.

Gomez was not LiverpoolAn update on his training session in Chicago on Sunday and the severity of the injury is expected this week.

he is. LiverpoolSince signing from Charlton in 2015, he has missed 225 games through injury, according to Transfermarkt.

Virgil van Dijk is the club’s only capable senior centre-back. of Liverpool The captain is 35 and has played every minute in the Premier League but is not the force he once was.

The Dutchman, like Gomez, has reached the final year of his contract at Anfield. Both players are likely to move next summer.

One reason Liverpool Ibrahimovic allowed Konate to leave on a free transfer to join Real Madrid because he feels Jaquet, 21, and Leoni, 19, who cost £55m and £26m respectively, are the best young centre-backs in France and Italy.

They will likely secure inspired signings, with Jacqueline set to make his debut against the opposition. Leeds Sunday.

Liverpool They will be given every opportunity to fulfill their potential, but right now, like Ndiaye and Ndukwe, they are both far from the finished product.

“We need players. It’s quite clear,” Ex Liverpool Striker Robbie Fuller told BBC Sport in New York ahead of the Reds’ game against Wrexham on Wednesday.

“I feel very sorry for Joe Gomez, who is very disappointed with the injury. This could be a real opportunity to strengthen his position and show that we don’t need another centre-half.

“We’ve put money into Jackett and Leonie and it’s telling us what advice Joe and Virgil can give the young lads from their experience.

“We haven’t seen the best version of the youth yet, but you need that experience in the team. And yes, the manager has registered that we need players, and I wouldn’t be surprised if another center half is in this conversation.”